Car uncoupler for toy trains



H. J. JOSEPH CAR UNCOUPLER FOR TOY TRAIN-S,

July 12, 1960.

2 Sheds-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 13, 1959 INVENTOR. By Harold J. Joseph f. z fM H R F' H a F/G/ United tat atent s Patented July :12,

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UNcoUrLER non TOYTRAIINS V I I-Iarold'J. f. Ioseph,1018N.'5thAve.,Wausau,Wis. ':Filed:0ct..13,1959,53.No.846,121?- f '8 Claims. Cl .T213-21'1). E

My, invention relates toiimproyements incar uncou- 'pl ers fortoytrains. v r

Although the car-carriedcoupling meansof toy .trains functionsautomatically after the fashion of the couplings of full sized trains tocouple adjacent carslwhen :one is backed into another, the uncoupling ofadjacent V I2 Fig. 11 is a fragmentary elevational view :showing'amodification. f a Referring to the drawings tbyrefer'ence characters,Fig. 1 :shows a conventional coupling for adjacent cca'rs 7 \of a toytrain which :runs 'on. the rails '8 that are supported 'byties 9.. Sincethe 'interengageable 'carprovided ele-' ments of the conpling'sareidentical except that .0116 is a right and the. other a ileft,'-so tospeak,"a'description ofjone will-sufliceforboth. v T 1' "illhus; the,iconventional :coupling 'disclos'ed comprises the two horizontallyswingable-and :axi'ally alignable draw 7 bars ,10, eacho'f which hasatits outer end "the integral, selongate'd and coplanar aearwardlyinclined eamsfor'm my train cars using ones fingers, presentsdifficulties. 1

This is especially true with the popular smaller sizes of toy trainsandifinger uncoupling'usually results in multiple car derailment. Thus,:tra'ck section-carried uncouplers have come into extensive use. These,while effective admit of carauncouplingonly at specific points .in thetrack .-ties to prevent over-manipulation ot the coupler-actuatitngelements ofadjacent cars.

Invention also resides vin certam novel features of con struction,combination and arrangement of the various parts, and in modes'ofoperation thereof as will :be apparent to toy train enthusiasts andothers versed in the art. f 7 j In accordance with the patent statuterequirements, I

have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a now preferred example ofthe invention. However, it is to be understood that my inventive conceptis susceptible of other mechanical expressions within the spirit andscope of the subject matter claimed hereinafter.

In the drawings, wherein the same reference characters have been used todesignate the same parts wherever they appear in the several views- 7Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a familiar toy car coupling, fragmentsof adjacent cars, and part, of a curved track being also illustrated;

Fig. 2 is another perspective showing disconnected the opposed couplingelements of Fig. 1 and alsoa familiar type of track section-carrieduncoupler;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my improved portable handoperateduncoupler in use;

Fig. 4 is a section on thelined-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top view of the uncoupler of Figs. 3 and4;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; but show ing portions ofthe coupling members broken away;

Fig. 7 is an elevation looking toward the inner surface of one of theduplicate arm sections of my uncoupler;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation looking toward the right side thereof as seenin Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a back view of the Fig. 8 element; Fig. 10 is a top plan viewthereof; and

tions of arms 19 they are angled inwardly as at 22 to track layout.

coupling :head ;1 1- whose :rear end provides zthe :draft .vhodk portion11a. 'As '=will;be understood from Figs; -1xandr'2, when the draft bars10 swing inwardlyfithese draft hooks 11a interengage to provide thecoupling; 'The inner rend of each draft bar, 10 extends through the openlforward end-of a car 'truck-carried' casing .12 and-has :a bearing hole13 (Fig. 2)athrou gh which a'verticalcasing-carrid pivot pin (not shown)extends.

It should also lie-explained thatthe draw bar-supporting casings .12have the. usual springmeans .(notshown) tendfing to swing thedrawbars-lt) inwardly; .andalso .a con- ..ventional stop means .(notshown) .to-Ylimit said inward swinging beyond the point when draft hooks11a engage as'in Fig." 1. i 1 f L .Rarwardly spaced from each couplingihead the Hinder surface "of each draw bar mlhas adependingin- :tegrallug v.14 which fixedly "carries the depending lat'er elly oifs'e t pin15. As will be understood v'fronztfFig. 1', ,pins

15 are located on oppositelsides of the longitudinalfaxls of thesub'stantiallyrraligned and coupled .drawfbarsil}, 10,;

and also that .t'hefrespe'ctive pins lie outwardly the plane of the freerear end of the related head-provided coupling hook portion 11a. 2 ,j

Since; as mentioned earlier herein, itf is very'iiiificlilt andoftenimpossible to uncouple' the cars with the fingers without carderailment, various trackiseetiomcarried uncouplershave been provided:for'the illustrated and other toy-train couplings. However, these areobjectio l as they facilitate uncoupling only'at specific points he Anexample of a track-provided uncoupler is shown in Fig. 2 wherein stiff,arched and inwardly bowed wires 16a, 16b which are secured at their endsto opposite endadjacent sides of the track-supported base 16. When a carconnecting coupling located between the closely spaced'intermediateportions of wires 16a, 16b, pins 15 are actuated into alignmentlongitudinally of the draw bars 10 to disengage the head-provided drafthooks 11a, as indicated in Fig. 2. This means that theleft-most couplingunit 10, 15, as viewed in Fig. 2, is actuated outward- 'ly in thedirection of arrow 17 by wire 16a; and that wire 16b actuates therightmost unit 10, 15 outwardly in the direction of arrow 17a.

The manually operated un coztpler of the present invention Referring nowto my manually operable tong-like uncoupler 18, it is seen to comprisethe'duplicate arm or jaw sections 19 having the inturned lower endportions 21 which carry the straight terminal portions. 23 whichparallel the plane of arms 19 and are reinforced by backing ribs 24,-'Arm terminals 23, during the uncoupling operation, are adapted tosupport the upright tool 18 on the surface which supports the track 8, 9(see Fig. 4).

Extending inwardly from the curved lower arm end portions 21' are theopposed broad, flat and align-able coupling pin actuators 25. Above theintermediate porprovide the straight portions 26 which terminate in the7 upper head ends 20.

Each upper arm head end provides at one side an arcuately curved bearingportion 27 and at the opposite :side. a bearing recess 28. The bearingportion 27 of one arm fits into the bearing recess 28 of the companionarm 19 as shown. The bearing portions 27 are connected by a pin 30 whichextends through concentrically located .bearing holes 30a in saidbearing portions. 7 As shown in-Figs. 5, 7, 9 and 10, the bearingportions thickened arm portions 32 have the opposed and communicatingseat portions 33 for the substantially V-form leaf spring 34 which tendsto spread the arms apart. The

outer surfaces of the thickened arm portions 31 have thefinger-receiving surface recesses or seats 35 for the thumb 36andforefinger 37 of the operator.

Operation summarized When the adjacent cars 7 of Fig. l are to beuncoupled,

the operator grasps the tool between thumb and forefinger as indicatedin dotted lines in Fig. 4. Finger seats '35 enable him to readilycontrol the inward movement of the normally separated jaws 19 and alsoto engage the jaw terminals 23, on the track supporting surface opposedthe coupling to be uncoupled.

.The lower jaw terminals 23 elevate the actuators 25 to just the rightheight to engage the coupling member- 'operating pins 15 and actuatethem inwardly to substantial coupling axis alignment as indicated inFigs. 4 and 6.

Such inward pin (15) movement actuates the inwardly n spring tensionedcoupling elements 10, 15 and 10, 15 outwardly to disengage theload-sustaining hooks 11a, 11a of the coupling heads. Engagement of theopposed jaw terminals 23- with the outer ends of intervening ties 9prevents such additional inward movement of jaws 19 as might-bring aboutcar derailment. When the coupling hooks 11a, 11a have been disengagedand the cars are pulled apart, the depending pins 15 slide freely overthe ends of 25, 25.

Obviously the device is adapted for various types of toy train couplingshaving depending actuators for coupling release means. This applieswhetherthe said actuator pins 15 move in horizontal or vertical planes.But when such actuator pins 15 move in a vertical plane to effectcoupling release, the opposed ends of actuators 25 will be frictionallycushioned by rubber, or otherwise, as at 25a in Fig. 11.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A portable manually operable uncoupler for the car couplings of toyrailroadtrains and the like, comprising connected .inwardly shiftablemembers having opposed coupling release element-engaging portions, and amember carried by said shiftable members and engaging the train trackerequivalent supporting surface to dis pose the release element-engagingmeans in position.

thereabove to operatively engage said coupling release elements.

' 2. The structure of claim 1, and said inwardly shiftable memberscomprising pivotally connected jaws. I

3. The structure of claim 1,- and said inwardly shiftable memberscomprising pivotally connected jaws, and spring means normally urgingsaid jaws outwardly.

4. The structure of claim 1, and said inwardly shiftable memberscomprising pivotally connected jaws, spring means normally urging saidjaws outwardly, and means carried by said jaws and limiting outwardmovement of the same under the action of said spring means.

5. The structure of claim 1, combined with tie-supported rails restingupon said supporting surface and wherein the opposite ends of arail-supporting tie engage said supporting surface-engaging members toterminate inward movement of the same at approximately the time that thecoupling release elements are engaged thereby, whereby to prevent overinward actuation of said release element engaging portions.

6. The structure of claim 1, and said inwardly shiftable memberscomprising pivotally connected jaws, and

'theexterior pivot-adjacent surfaces of said jaws havingfinger-receiving recesses.

7. The structure of claim 1, and said inwardly shiftable memberscomprising pivotally connected jaws, the opposed pivot-adjacent jawsurfaces having opposed re- No references cited.

